Living with the iPod integration kit.

[rael]

O.K. I purchased and installed the iPod integration kit about a week ago and I must say I'm fairly disappointed. First, the kit for the 06 installed fine in an 07 with Rockford Fosgate head and the install is extremely simple as has been mentioned before.

Now for my question; Am I missing something here? or is it really that bad of an interface? I really don't want or expect much from a factory designed integration kit but there are some very puzzling choices that seem to be made here. (and I'm not even going to go into the basic settings, control and display issues)

First, I really do not care for the fact that it turns off my shuffle every time the ignition cycles. With 15,000+ songs, I do not want to listen to them sequentially and I don't know why that choice would have been made. This one truly seems like a "choice" because there really isn't a satellite function that compares to the iPod settings. My (somewhat acceptable) workaround for this is syncing with the computer more often and making sure I shuffle the playlists in iTunes which does work. This is better than alphabetical but still not the best. I know I can get into the settings and change it from the head unit (every single time I turn the key) but the navigation is less than intuitive and much more of a pain than the press enter on the NAV every start.

The second issue (which I haven't found a workaround for) is the total lack of useful steering wheel control. The volume works, but the seek/tuning switch does nothing useful at all. I know this is probably a side effect from hijacking the satellite radio interface, but it's still aggravating. To change tracks, you can use the tuning knob or the seek button, but in "iPod mode" the switch on the steering wheel does neither of these things. It only cycles through presets which initially, for me, meant every time I bumped it I changed to FM or AM. I had a great (I thought) idea this morning and I set my presets for track 50, 100, 150, 200, etc. thinking I could at least jump a bit from the steering wheel, but this does not work at all. At least now if I bump the steering wheel control it doesn't switch out to radio, but it also doesn't try to change the track either. So I'm still resigned to reaching over to the head unit for the seek button or the tuning knob to jump forward a track which is annoying when I have that nice (useless) switch at my fingertips.

I guess I'm posting this for two reasons. One to give some potential customers a little warning of what they will get. And two to ask if anyone has any suggestions or tricks that make daily life with this thing a bit better.

Sorry my first post is a little negative. This is by far the best truck I've owned (Dodge Ram and Chevy Z-71 before) and I'm learning to live with even this, the only flaw I've found. If I didn't have an hour and a half drive in and an hour and a half drive home this probably wouldn't be as important for me. And I've done several custom installs in the past and even used the aux while I was waiting for the kit, but I really want to keep this truck looking "stock" so wires everywhere and the iPod sitting out is not what I'm looking for. I also haven't found much for aftermarket interfaces for NISSAN yet but I'm still looking.

Thanks for any suggestions or advice.

[Tonka Titan]

You definitely can skip to the next track on your steering wheel control. All you have to do is HOLD down the seek button for a couple of seconds. If you just press and let go, it will go to your radio preset. Just hold it down, that should solve one of your problems.

You can also manually set, from your factory radio, to make it shuffle definitely. Have to go to set-up menu, gotta mess around with it.

[rael]

I do know how to change it to shuffle from the head unit. You hit the cat/folder (I think that's what it's called) until you get to settings then hit the seek button then hit cat/folder until you get the random setting you want then hit the seek button again. I just don't want to do this twice a day every day when my iPods have been set to shuffle, without exception, for 4 or 5 years now. I also think this method is less than safe when driving so I generally don't do it.

As for the steering wheel control, now you have me a bit puzzled. When I hold my button, it just starts to walk through the cat/folder options which would then require a reach over to the head unit to hit seek to select any of those options. Now admittedly I always have held UP because I'm trying to go to the next track. Are you saying that if I hold DOWN it will skip to the next track? If so, that would be good enough for me. I will definitely try this when I go home tonight.

Thanks for the reply. Actually your post was where I first learned about the interface kit.

Edit: I just went back and reread your old post and I'm starting to wonder if there are some functional differences between the 04-05 and the 06-07 models. I really hope that I can just hold down on the steering wheel control and get some, limited track selection.

[socaldad]

Yeah... I had the same problems/issues so I returned the integration kit. I am currently using the Belkin connector that plugs into the dock and plays throught the aux input. I plan to take it to a local high-end car stereo shop and have the Belkin connector hard-wired to the truck to alleviate the excess wiring issue.

[rael]

I was using the Belkin via the Aux until I got the integration kit. I had hard wired it into the center console of my Silverado and that worked fine but I was hoping to keep the iPod stashed in the glove box and still have control and still have the info displayed on the video display. The display doesn't quite show how I'd like, but the real deal breaker is the apparent lack of steering wheel controls.

[rael]

Just a follow-up; holding down on the steering wheel controls in either direction does not change the tracks. It only steps through the menu selection if you're quick and pay close attention (need to hold 1.5 seconds and if you don't hit it the second time within 2 seconds you lose where you are) and then you need to hit the track select on the head unit to choose anything. This actually seems much more dangerous than just about any other method of interfacing with the iPod.

Oh well. I'm going to figure out ways to live with it for now but I'm hoping that a third party like Dension steps up to the plate and does it right (or at least better than NISSAN).

[jackhammer50]

Rael,
Just wanted to let you know I have an '07 with the ipod integration kit and XM. (both dealer installed) I have the same problems as you...But more.
It is so frustrating that I sometimes use the ipod with the aux input. I did find a 1 foot cable that makes this much neater as I put the ipod in the front cupholder. I would really like to just keep the ipod in the glovebox though.